Last living Doolittle Raider recalls America's revenge attack

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Photos:The daring flight of the Doolittle Raiders

As revenge for Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor, 80 US pilots, gunners, navigators and bombardiers led by Lt. Col. James "Jimmy" Doolittle performed a daring one-way mission to bomb Japan in 1942. Half of the mission's 16 North American B-25 Mitchell bombers are seen here parked on the flight deck of the USS Hornet. Click through the gallery to see more images of the raid.

As the Hornet steamed toward Japan, the B-25 bombers, left, shared the deck with Navy Wildcat fighter planes, right. The B-25s had "tricycle" landing gear different from so-called "tail-draggers," like the Wildcats, which had small wheels that supported the tail.

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Photos:The daring flight of the Doolittle Raiders

The Mitchells gained a reputation as perhaps the most versatile aircraft of World War II. It "was used for high- and low-level bombing, strafing, photo reconnaissance, submarine patrol, and even as a fighter," according to Boeing. They were also known for their loud engine noise inside the cockpit and crew cabin.

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Photos:The daring flight of the Doolittle Raiders

On April 18, 1942, a B-25 Mitchell piloted by Doolittle and co-piloted by Cole took off for Tokyo from the USS Hornet about 650 miles from Japan.

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Photos:The daring flight of the Doolittle Raiders

"I remember thinking we had just separated ourselves from civilization," said co-pilot Cole. "The range of our short-wave radio was only about 45 miles and we were going to be more than 45 miles away from civilization for eight or 10 hours. In a way, it was a little bit scary."

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Photos:The daring flight of the Doolittle Raiders

Cole and Doolittle made one circle over the Hornet and then pointed the airplane toward Japan. They were followed by the 15 remaining planes. Their grueling mission had begun.

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Photos:The daring flight of the Doolittle Raiders

The B-25s targeted five Japanese cities. Doolittle's bomber was the first to fly over Japan. It dropped four incendiary bombs on a Tokyo factory area. After hitting their targets, Doolittle and 14 other B-25s flew west toward China, which was fighting off a Japanese invasion. One crew flew to the Soviet Union.

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Photos:The daring flight of the Doolittle Raiders

When Doolittle and Cole reached China, their plane was low on fuel. Unable to find an airfield for a safe landing at night in a thunderstorm, the crew bailed out, allowing the B-25 to crash into a nearby mountainside. Eleven of the 16 crews bailed out. Four planes crash landed. The crew that flew to the Soviet Union landed safely. Of the 80 raiders, three were killed in action. Eight were captured; one starved to death in a Japanese prison camp and three were executed.

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Photos:The daring flight of the Doolittle Raiders

Lt. Col. Robert Hite was one of eight Doolittle raiders captured by Japanese forces. After 40 months in captivity, Hite was freed in 1945. He died in 2015 at age 95.

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Photos:The daring flight of the Doolittle Raiders

Cole, Doolittle and their three crewmen safely parachuted to the ground. Days later, friendly Nationalist Chinese troops escorted them to a US military aircraft, which flew them to safety. Now 101 years old, Cole is the last living Doolittle raider. He toasted the mission's 75th anniversary in April 2016 at Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph, Texas.

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Story highlights

A secret US vengeance mission was undertaken after Pearl Harbor

Last living member of the 80-man operation recalls bombing Tokyo, bailing out over China

Houston County, Georgia (CNN)When vintage World War II bombers known as B-25 Mitchells thrill fans on the US airshow circuit, they honor the legacy of one of the most daring military missions in American history.

At Georgia's Perry-Houston County Airport on Friday a B-25 named Show Me sat at the end of Runway 36. Its powerful propeller twin engines shook the seats as the bomber waited to takeoff -- a little bit like Jimmy Doolittle and his raiders did in 1942 aboard the USS Hornet.

Eighty men volunteered for that mission -- what turned out to be a one-way air attack -- vengeance for Japan's strike on Hawaii that crippled the US Navy fleet and left 2,403 dead.

For them, Pearl Harbor was their 9/11.

After four months, it was time for payback.

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The mission -- depicted in the 2001 film "Pearl Harbor" -- called for 16 US B-25s to take off from an aircraft carrier near Japan. The planes would bomb five Japanese cities and fly on to China, where the men would connect with friendly forces who would help them get home.

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On April 18, 1942, Doolittle and co-pilot Richard E. "Dick" Cole sat in the cockpit of their B-25 going over a preflight check list with the engines running.

"I was setting the engine cowl flaps and watching to make sure the engines didn't overheat," said Cole, now 101 years old and a retired Air Force lieutenant colonel.

"It was a bit hectic," he said, because crews were scrambling. The mission launch was moved up by 12 hours because of fears that Tokyo had been tipped off.

As a result, the B-25s would have to take off hundreds of miles farther from Japan than planned. That meant the planes wouldn't have enough fuel to guarantee they'd land safely in China.

"We were the first plane," Cole said. "I remember I was hoping that we had done everything that we needed to do to make the takeoff. "

A versatile airplane

Aboard our Friday B-25 flight in Georgia, Show Me's pilot, Craig O'Mara, kept his feet on the brakes while pushing the throttles forward — revving up the ridiculously loud engines.

"The noise is intense," said David Thompsen, another Show Me pilot, because engine exhaust pipes aim toward the cockpit and crew cabin.

With a green light from air traffic controllers, O'Marareleased the brake and unleashed the aircraft.

The 72-year-old plane raced 2,000 to 2,500 feet down the runway, accelerating to about 120mph before completely leaving the ground.

Owned by the Commemorative Air Force, Show Me appears at airshows nationwide to promote the Disabled American Veterans, a nonprofit charity which helps give a voice to disabled US vets returning from war. This weekend, the plane is one of the stars of the Thunder Over Georgia airshow at nearby Robins Air Force Base.

During its heyday, the B-25 was a respectable warplane -- distinguished by its twin-tail and versatility. "It became the most heavily armed airplane in the world, was used for high- and low-level bombing, strafing, photoreconnaissance, submarine patrol, and even as a fighter," according to Boeing.

Of nearly 10,000 B-25s built by North American Aviation, Show Me (which was not on the Doolittle Raid) is among fewer than 50 that can still fly.

From our Georgia airport, it's about 300 miles to Eglin Air Force Base in Florida, where Doolittle's raiders trained in secret seven decades ago to learn cross-country navigation without radios or landmarks and how to execute short takeoffs from ships.

"The highest risk for pilots during takeoff from a carrier would have been an engine failure at a slow speed," Thompsen said. Engine failure would force pilots to abort takeoff. They risked losing control of the plane which could allow it to veer into key structures on the ship.

The mission begins

A typical B-25 takeoff uses about 2,000 feet of runway, Thompsen said. But the Hornet's deck allowed the planes as little as 300 feet to get airborne — otherwise they'd drop off the edge and crash into the ocean.

Amazingly, the mission pilots had been trained to be able to take off as slowly as 75 mph with as little as 250 feet of runway.

Have pilots ever tried that with Show Me? "No we haven't," Thompsen said. "That's a high-risk maneuver and we don't do that. We try to treat her gently."

With the natural winds, combined with speed from the moving ship, the B-25s only needed to get up to about 23 mph to fly off the Hornet, Cole said. Japan was about 650 miles away.

A flag on the deck green-lighted the takeoff. It was time.

Both Cole and Doolittle kept their hands on the engine throttles to make sure the levers didn't accidentally slip downward and -- in case of engine failure -- to quickly bring the plane to a stop.

With his engines revving hard, Doolittle released the brakes, sending the plane barreling toward the ship's edge.

Seconds later, the first raiders were airborne.

'A little bit scary'

They made one circle over the Hornet and then pointed the airplane toward Japan. Soon, all 15 remaining planes followed. The grueling mission had begun.

"I remember thinking we had just separated ourselves from civilization," Cole said. "The range of our short-wave radio was only about 45 miles and we were going to be more than 45 miles away from civilization for 8 or 10 hours."

"In a way it was a little bit scary," he said. But they were fully committed. There was no turning back.

To avoid detection, the raiders flew extremely close to the Pacific — sometimes dangerously low.

At speeds around 190 mph, Doolittle flew about 200 feet above the water. Incredibly, some pilots flew as low as 50 feet. One stiff wind or mistake in the cockpit could've sent the 14-ton bombers crashing into the ocean.

'Drop the bombs'

At about noon, Doolittle and Cole's crew were the first of the raiders to reach Tokyo. Still flying low, they encountered no air attacks, Cole said. Apparently, the element of surprise was intact.

Bombardier Fred Braemer found a target and "Col. Doolittle pulled up to 1,500 feet and said, 'Drop the bombs,'" Cole recalled. At one point over Tokyo Cole spotted several Japanese aircraft high above. "Apparently they did not see us," he said.

The B-25's bomb bay is pretty much completely enclosed. "The bomb bay doors are hydraulically operated and they move very fast," Thompsen said. "When they close, they're kind of like a guillotine."

The legacy

Doolittle Raider Robert Hite was captured and held for 40 months until his release in 1945. He died in 2015.

Overall, 11 crews bailed out of their bombers. Four planes crash-landed. One crew flew to the Soviet Union. Of the 80 raiders, three were killed in action. Eight were captured; one starved to death in a Japanese prison camp and three were executed.